By Zakaria Bustami (student) 1806228101 International Programme FTUI, Supervisor: Raldi A. Koestoer.-
The Grashof incubator is a cheaper and more affordable alternative to the mainstream incubators most commonly used in hospitals. The incubator is the product of many years of hard work and testing done by a team that was led by Prof.Dr. Ir. Raldi A. Koestoer DEA. The creation of the incubator itself was motivated by social motives instead of a profit-oriented motive. The objective behind the creation itself is to help premature babies that come from lower income families and families that couldn’t afford high price cost for a NICU facilities in the hospital include utilisation of incubators, so their premature babies could be helped. Therefore, it meant that anyone from lower class family can use the device without paying a single cent to the team.
Before going into the principle in which our grashof incubator operate, we first must understand the use and basic principle on how a common incubator works. An incubator is a biomedical device that regulates the temperature, humidity, and oxygen as it is required by the new born. The common incubator usually regulate temperature and temperature using air-blown electric system and a humidifcation system that regulate air through the incubators cabin.
The grashof incubator itself is divided into a couple of sections, namely the base or the heating chamber, and the cabin of the incubator where the premature shall reside temporarily. The heating chamber is where in which the incubator produce energy that will warm the surrounding temperature. The source of energy in the Grashof incubator comes from two 25 Watthour lightbulbs that functions as a radiation source that will increase the temperature of the surrounding air in the heating chamber. Then, after being heated, buoyancy force force will force hotter air to come up from the heating chamber to the incubator cabin through small holes that has been carefully placed to maintain perfect thermal distribution.
Fig 1.1 Design of Grashof Incubator
As hot air leaves the heating chamber, the pressure in the chamber becomes smaller and smaller, creating some sort of vacuum that will draw in more air from the surrounding environment outside of the chamber. This transfer of cold air is made possible with other small halls positioned between the environment and the incubator.
The incubator itself has several features that will keep the comfortability of the baby itself. The temperature inside the incubator is regulated by a thermostat sitting on the bottom of the heating chamber. This prevents the incubator from going past above the desired temperature for the baby and it makes the incubator much more energy efficient.
Inovasi Kreasi 